The Brain on Trial: Neuroscience Evidence in the Courtroom

“The Brain on Trial: Neuroscience Evidence in the Courtroom” is the title of the Saturday morning session at the AAAS 2010. “The Brain on Trial” is also the name of Jennifer Leslie’s AAAS blog recap, which is the next best thing for those of us who could not attend. It sounds like it was fun!

“Set up as a mock-trial, the session was designed to examine the increasingly common dilemma of whether evidence such as MRI images, which can be used to see damage in the brain such as lesions or tumors, should be entered into court cases. Besides the judge [the Honorable Luis A. Rodriguez, from the Superior Court of California in Orange County], there was also a Defense Attorney, Mr. Robert Knaier, and a Prosecuting Attorney, Mr. Henry Greely, both actual lawyers. There were also expert witnesses for both sides of the case, Dr. James Brewer for the defense, and Dr. Michael Rafii for the prosecution.” more